WINTER is Here - MyShadowProductions #156

Hello again !!

Winter has arrived here in Aurora, IL as it most likely has in your “neck of the woods”.

Last week brought clouds, snow, rain, cold and wind and this week will be COLD with some sun and wind and blowing snow.

I think the water equivalent prediction was correct but the snow accumulation was more like 6 to 8 inches

Screenshot from Today/Tuesday Forecast

Sometimes my plans for a “day trip” work out and sometimes they don’t.

Friday was a don’t day :) As forecasted, it snowed heavy Thursday night and early Friday morning and my plan was to go to Morton Arboretum to see and take photos of the snowy wonderland. 

From my apartment I walked (15 minutes) in the snow to the Aurora Transit Center and took the 9:04 am train to the Lisle Stop, took an Uber to the Arboretum and upon arriving at the main entrance found out that it was closed. I checked their website on my phone (note to self, do this before making plans next time :) and the opening was delayed until Noon due to the “weather”.

I rerouted the Uber back to the Lisle Stop and instead of returning to Aurora or waiting until noon, I boarded the next train and went to Chicago Union Station. I walked out on Jackson Blvd and it was raining with the infamous “Windy City” wind in full gear. I saw on Google Maps that there was a “famous” diner a couple blocks away so I headed there. 

I was not in the mood for breakfast, and for some reason, Chicago style hot dogs and Italian beef were not on the menu, so I ordered a Hamburger with Fries. It was tasty but not worth “writing home, or in a blog, about :)”

Nevertheless I returned to Union Station and caught the next train back, deciding to bypass the Arboretum because the day was just wet and grey and not working out and returned to Aurora. Hence the “don’t day” tag :)

CLICK HERE for a not so interesting video :) The photos make it pretty clear about when I gave up on the day, right? :)

Alas, I have some “Street Art” (remember, I use that term very lightly) photos that I have been accumulating since mid-October through last week.

Click Here for the Video created from my “Street Art” photos.

While making the video I noticed this photo I took in Aurora:

I remember thinking back to a similar photo I took in Denver at Washington Park:

Almost exactly 3 years apart, each a random painting in a public park displayed/left by someone? for MyShadow to see and photograph :)

With the snow cover and very cold temperatures, I have some new friends that seem to like the ledge outside my windows:

While dealing with the weather, it is a good time to try and work on new houseplant starts :) 

I have taken several Sanity Walks to experience the FRESH AIR and see what the Fox River is doing in the COLD. Here are some photos; MyShadow even made an appearance or two if you can spot him :)

Interesting to watch how the ice does/doesn’t form as the very cold temperatures continue.

It has been nice to see the sun and blue skies :)

I hope you are enjoying your winter and all the “gifts” it brings :)

I will end this Post with one piece of “Street Art” that I passed today.

To repeat a much heard phrase:

Stay Warm !! 

Hello 2024 !! - MyShadowProductions #155

Hello 2024!

12 months, 52 weeks, 366 days (yes, it is a Leap Year:), 8,784 hours, 527,040 minutes, 31,622,400 seconds (hope my math is correct :) and MORE LIFE !!

The photo above is my first “MyShadow” photo, taken by accident, in Denver’s City Park on my initial Sanity Walk in April of 2020, yes, that year :( This photo gave me the idea for naming my “Blog” and gave me an idea to try and include a MyShadow photo in future Posts. 

I put the Posts together on an IPad and I almost exclusively take photos in landscape  so my feeling is that the Posts are best viewed on an IPad or Laptop but some have told me that viewing on their phone works just fine :) 

Themes that I like to share at random times in my Posts are:

MyShadow

Sanity Walks

Sunsets & a random Sunrise 

Botanic Gardens

Day Trips

Holy Cow(s)

Lucky Dog(s)

Street Art & Art

Cats Meow

Popotillo (Straw Marquetry) (to me, an amazing Art, very endangered and under appreciated)

Custom Paint By Number Painting (just ordered another from a Costa Rica photo)

HAIKU Poetry 

To see examples of each (when looking at the full/web version of the website) you can look through the “Labels” column and click the Label to see Posts that include the item (sometimes in the video) See photo below:

I also usually include at least one “movie/video” that is created from my photos regarding the recent Post. I am going to change this wording to “video” for simplicity sake/lack of a better term :)

One of the grocery stores close to me is Super Mercado El Güero, a 12 minute walk, east up Galena Blvd :)

It is a nice, very comfortable local grocery store with a very definite selection of Mexican food items and a very good place to improve my Spanish by reading, listening and speaking.

I took some photos (mainly in Produce) to try and give an idea of the variety. 

The quantity of the items catches my eye, clearly the items are wanted and purchased, not just a novelty item. I have googled several to see what they are and how they are prepared, like the Cactus Petals, the Sugar Cane, the Maguey, etc.

Here are a few of the photos:

                 Still a large quantity despite the mirrors :)

CLICK HERE for a quick 1 minute 39 second trip to a Mexican Super Market, Olé.

An added touch in the Mercado that my video doesn’t have, is the Mexican music playing on the store’s speakers :) 

Here are some photos of the Fox River and Aurora, very early (like 5pm) on New Year’s Eve !! Nothing special, no ice, no snow, no kayakers lol, just a moment in the last hours of 2023 :)

                  Happy New Year !!!

P.S. - I still follow a YouTube series called “Itchy Boots”. 

It is a 30 something girl from Netherlands traveling the world on a motorcycle. 

She has been doing the videos for 6+ years I think. In my opinion she does a great job of sharing “the world” through her mostly dirt road travels in 20+ minute videos posted on Wednesdays and Sundays. She only has about 2.5 million followers:)

It may or may not be something you enjoy but please give it a look. 

Right now her travels are in West Africa. I enjoy seeing places I know that I will never get to travel to.

Click Here for her latest video :)